Cheesy "Pizza" Broccoli

I didn't want to serve the same ol' steamed, or stir-fried broccoli, then I remembered a recipe similar to this one, by Daphe Oz (Dr. Oz's daughter), from her lifestyle/cooking book "Relish"
Click image to learn more about the book. It's a perfect choice for college students, young singles and newlyweds. I'm none of those and I like it too. :)

Daphne's version is even more simple than the one I devised (no roasted tomatoes/garlic/red onions or mozzarella in her version)  but this one is a lot more flavorful, in my opinion.

By now, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I love cooking intuitively ~ that is with a basic recipe in my head, and then letting the creative juices flow!  This is another one of those, and you can adjust it to suit your own taste.



Easy and flavorful, here's what you'll need for the basic recipe:
Cherry or Roma Tomatoes Salt, Freshly ground black pepper Olive oil (or oil of your choice)
Dried oregano leaves 1 or 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced Red pepper flakes Half an onion, slivered Fresh Broccoli Spears Grated Mozzarella Cheese Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional: Lemon wedges Fresh oregano or basil leaves (Extras ~ see below)
Method:
Place rack in center of oven, preheat to 400ºF.
Wash and cut in half a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, or as many as you want to make a single layer~  (you can use quartered Roma tomatoes or a similar variety;  tomatoes that are not too juicy work best in this recipe.) In a shallow baking dish toss them with some olive oil, sea salt and  a little freshly ground black pepper.
Place pan in oven and roast tomatoes for 10 to 12 minutes (make take longer, depending upon your oven and the baking dish you are using.) Scatter 1 or 2 sliced garlic cloves, half of a slivered onion (white, yellow, red/purple), a couple of generous pinches of dried oregano, and a couple of pinches of  red pepper flakes (optional), give a stir to coat with oil and continue roasting for 10 to 12 minutes ~ it's okay if some tomatoes begin to char.
While tomatoes are roasting, steam broccoli spears until just crisp tender. Remove tomato pan from oven, arrange broccoli over tomatoes, add a little s & p if desired,  sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese (as much or as little as you like),  sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and place back in oven, or under hot broiler until cheese is melted and begins to bubble.  Remove from oven allow to cool for a moment, sprinkle with a few  fresh oregano or basil leaves. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.



Add any of these optional ingredients if you like: (to be added during second half of roasting tomatoes, or upon serving, as garnish):
sliced or halved flavorful black olives roasted red pepper slivers or pieces marinated mushrooms sliced green onions (scallions) cured anchovy fillets marinated artichoke hearts cooked Italian sausage crumbles, torn prosciutto, etc.   ~ almost anything goes!




Colorful and tasty, it makes a fine main course or a great side dish for simply prepared meat, poultry or fish.
Gluten-Free and Vegetarian friendly, too.

Bon Appétit! And thank you for visiting today!

xo~mari

Broccoli with Crispy Bread Crumbs and Lemon

Usually I serve broccoli steamed, stir-fried, oven roasted or in salads, but the other day I was searching for a different way to prepare it.


I remember having been served it with a crispy bread crumb coating at an Italian restaurant once; I've made it with toasted buttery-herb flavored bread crumbs sprinkled over...  







But I wanted the crumbs to actually adhere to the broccoli. Puzzled as to how to accomplish this,  I turned to the newest edition of my kitchen 'bible':

Seriously, if you want to know how to prepare almost any food, chances are you can find the recipe in Mark Bittman's completely revised Tenth Anniversary edition of "How to Cook Everything."  


The book is substantial both in content and heft; it weighs in at just over 4 1/2 pounds,  and includes an astonishing number of recipes (2,000), "simple recipes for great food" according the the dust jacket ~  an accurate claim.  Plus variations on many of them, many clear illustrations, all kinds of preparation tips, and essential information for any cook.


And, once again, it didn't let me down in finding the preparation method for this dish, either.  The cooking method is simple, and you can use it for cauliflower florets, green beans, and Brussels sprouts as well.





Break the broccoli into any size pieces you like (I included the slender stems because we like them), parboil in salted water until just crisp tender, then immediately plunge them into a container of ice water.  Allow to drain... and from there Mark gives two methods to finish with the crispy bread crumbs 


One version uses egg (helps the crumbs adhere), it was the method I used, and the other version does not ~ the crumbs will not coat the broccoli as thoroughly but... as Mark states in the book: 


"Whether the bread crumbs stick to the vegetable is not all that important, because you'll get the crunch no matter where the bread crumbs wind up, but for the prettiest presentation, use the egg."


The lemon to squeeze over is suggested as optional ~ but I would not serve this without it... it needs that flavor kick, imo.


As mentioned, Mark offers variations on many of the recipes for example ~  after making the basic recipe of "Breaded Sauteed Broccoli" he give directions for the following:


 Cauliflower with Onion and Olives
or
 With Garlic, Vinegar and Capers
or 
With Feta and Mint
or
With Almonds, Raisins, and Saffron


It is not a fluffy picture-book-type cookbook, but one that is loaded with great, simple recipes and information useful to anyone who cooks.  Selling for about $21. it is a great investments and wonderful reference resource; I recommend it for both beginner well as advanced cooks. 


If you would like a printable copy of the basic recipe, you can find it on the Once Upon a Plate recipe blog, HERE.


If you try this one I hope you like it. Cheers!